updated 09:50 am EDT, Wed March 30, 2011

Verizon EOLs Incredible, roadmap backs sequel

Verizon has quietly marked the end of a minor era by withdrawing the Droid Incredible shortly before its sequel arrives. The phone no longer shows online and is likely clearing out stock at retail. HTC's phone was the first high-end Android hardware at Verizon after the original Motorola Droid and one of its most consistent sellers, having been on shelves for nearly a full year.

The device has simultaneously been followed by a leaked roadmap for Verizon's near future. The Incredible 2, losing the Droid badge, is now expected to ship on April 28, Phandroid learned. It's poised to be an adaptation of the Incredible S with dual-mode CDMA and GSM and wireless charging.

Many of the company's promised high-end devices would also start showing, including a handful of surprises. The Casio Commando, briefly seen around the CES expo as the G'zOne C771, will be Casio's first Android-based model and keep the heavily ruggedized design with a full touchscreen interface. It should run a mostly stock version of Android 2.2, but it will be forced by Verizon to use Bing instead of Google for search. Casio's contributions include Social Beat, an app to sync Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, as well as a custom G'z Gear app that includes outdoor-friendly tools for a compass, pedometer, and weather tracking. The Commando could still compete with mid-range phones through its inclusion of a five-megapixel camera and a bundled 8GB microSDHC card. Verizon carries it on April 7, according to the roadmap.

The Samsung Droid Charge is due the same day, according to the leak, and will be just the second 4G phone on Verizon. Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play gaming phone is slated for April 14, and the HTC Trophy would bring Windows Phone 7 to the network a day later.

Verizon has also given clues that it might have a large May schedule. It would finally ship the LG Revolution on May 5. The Droid Bionic would have a more generic May release, and the Droid X 2 would arrive in a similarly vague date.

A "Samsung Galaxy 2" has also popped up for a May launch and could signal a short-lived role for the Droid Charge. The smartphone is billed as a "4G Android" model and could be an LTE adaptation of the Galaxy S II. If so, it would be much better than the Droid Charge with a dual-core processor and a thinner overall profile.